One Of These Days
by They-Call-Me-Orange
Summary: Oneshot: Spencer and Ashley. Domesticated. Porn, neon signs, bicycles, guitars, Katherine Hepburn, hardwood floors, notebooks, Raisin Bran, Eighteen Century Fiction, lipgloss, telephones, old jeans, Ohio winters, California Dreamin'. Fluff.


_Disclaimer: _**I'm not Tommy Lynch. All I own is my dignity, and I even rent_ that_ out.**

**Title:** "One of These Days" - like the Owen song.

**People: **_Lambbaby (who just wrote a great Palex oneshot) for helping me out a bit. And Doc for being great._

**Tunes: **_Owen_ "Put You Hands on Me, My Love", "In The Morning, Before Work", "Note To Self:", "A Bird In Hand"_ ; Rainer Maria_ "Tinfoil"

**Author's Note: **This is Random Fluff. I know it's been a while since I updated Teenage Dirtbag, but I'll get back to it, soon. Anyway, this story was inspired largely by the video for the Owen song "One of These Days" (_At Home With Owen_; Polyvinyl Records; 2006) which you should totally look up on YouTube. Mike Kinsella is a _God._

Any questions should be answered, but, in case you're slow... Spencer wanted to go home to Ohio for college. She chose Oberlin (shocker!). Ashley went with her, but isn't taking classes because books burn her skin.

**WARNING:** Brief, not-too-explicit lovescene. That's right. Hot lesbians making sweet, sweet lesbian whoopie. Deal with it. Skip it. Enjoy it. Just don't say I didn't warn you.

* * *

Spencer's alarm clock wakes her at 6:25 to the sound of a band Ashley probably would have been able to identify but Spencer can only vaguely remember. Spencer used to have the radio set to the Country station but she suspected Ashley had changed it because a few weeks ago it began to play the loud rock music that Ashley prefers. Spencer tells herself every morning as she rolls out of bed and stumbles toward the bathroom that she's going to change it, but by the time she crawls into bed at night and sets it, she forgets. 

Spencer hits the snooze button two times before Ashley begins to grumble, still half-asleep, beside her and Spencer decides she needs to get up soon or she won't be ready in time for her first class.

Before she gets out of bed she turns and gazes down at Ashley. She smiles, because Ashley's curly brown hair is a wild mess atop her head. It spills down over her face and there's a small strand that's managed to slip in the corner of her mouth that Spencer removes absently. Every night she goes to bed with Ashley curled up beside her and every morning she wakes up with Ashley somehow tangled up in _all_ the covers. She reminds Spencer of the pet hamster she had when she was a kid that always used to burry itself in its pine shavings.

Spencer kisses Ashley through the mess of curls and gets out of bed, wincing slightly at the creak of the bed frame and the coldness of the wooden floor under her bare feet.

She pads to the bathroom, grabbing a towel on the way, and leaves the door cracked behind her in case Ashley wakes up early and feels like joining her.

----

When she walks back into the bedroom she's still a little bit damp but she woke up a bit too late to spend lots of time drying herself thoroughly. Ashley's still sleeping; she's kicked off some of the blankets, laying on her back with a hand spread palm-flat against her stomach where her shirt has ridden up a little bit, exposing the smooth, taught skin of her abs. She's snoring softly and Spencer thinks it's so adorable she can't bear to wake her up, so she dresses as quietly as she can.

She walks back into the bathroom so she can do her makeup in the mirror.

----

Spencer makes herself a small breakfast every morning. More out of habit than anything. Her father was a firm believer that Breakfast Is The Most Important Meal Of The Day and it's rubbed off on his children.

The fridge is looking pretty bare this morning, as is the pantry, and all the cereal left in the cupboards is the Raisin Bran Spencer bought months ago because she didn't think it was healthy for Ashley to eat just Lucky Charms. Of course, Ashley had gone out behind her back and picked up a secret stash of sugary cereal later in the week. It would have been annoying if it hadn't been kind of funny.

Spencer knows they need to go grocery shopping soon. They were supposed to go last weekend, but somehow that plan had fell through. Spencer suspected that it had something to do with Ashley pinning her to the bed with the kind of slow, simmering grin that made Spencer's belly hot and her legs shaky with anticipation.

She decides, as she pours a bowl of Raisin Bran, that it doesn't really bother her that they didn't go grocery shopping last weekend.

----

She's rinsed her bowl and left it in the sink because she knows Ashley will do the dishes later. A peak outside the window shows the ground wet with last night's rain and the sun still hiding behind dark clouds. She runs back into the bedroom and slips on her heavy coat. She hovers near the bed on her way out. Ashley's on her back, covers pulled down to her waist, one hand curled in her own hair. Spencer leans down, presses a lingering kiss to Ashley's lips before she slips out the door.

------------------

Ashley wakes up a little bit before ten o'clock. The bedroom is dark, with only faint white light dripping in from the thin slits of the blinds of their one window. She lays in bed, with an arm thrown over her eyes, for long minutes until she wakes up, fully. The house is quiet. Everything is quiet. It's kind of peaceful, kind of beautiful, but she knows it would be much better with Spencer around.

But, Spencer is busy making something of herself and Ashley knows it's what she wants to do, so she'll save beautiful, peaceful mornings for when they can both enjoy them. Forever is a long time, so it's not like they have to rush.

She gets out of bed and grumbles at the coldness of the floor. She wonders, now, why she let Spencer pick out an apartment for them with wood floors. But, really, she knows Spencer could have picked a nice cardboard box behind a liquor store someplace and Ashley would have shrugged and gone with it. She would do whatever Spencer wanted to.

Ashley thinks that she's kinda, really whipped.

She's okay with that, though.

----

She showers and dresses simply. Old jeans and a Radiohead t-shirt so faded you can't even read the tour dates printed on the back anymore. It's comfortable, though. Soft cotton and worn just right and she's had it so long that she can't even really begin to imagine _not_ having it.

The only breakfast-type-food left in the house is (gag) Raisin Bran so she grabs a banana from the table and eats that. It was getting those brown spots that always reminded Ashley of a cheetah, but Ashley would rather eat spotted fruit than _Raisin Bran_.

----

After her snack she does the dishes and takes the trash down to the dumpster. She walks through the living room and gathers all the empty beer cans from last night into a plastic grocery bag to take to the Recycling Center later.

When she's done she flips through the channels on the TV, finding nothing but COPS and Divorce Court and a re-run of some movie she didn't understand the first four times she watched it and has since given up on.

She gets fed-up with television, turns it off. Thinks about vacuuming or putting on her favorite Chamberlain LP. But instead she grabs her guitar and her red spiral notebook and sits on the couch for a while, messing around. She kills twenty minutes like that before she gets up, slips the guitar into it's softcase and slings it over her shoulder.

On her way out she thinks about putting gloves on, because it's cold, but decides against it.

----

It takes Ashley around ten minutes to ride her bike from the apartment she shares with Spencer to the park where she plays guitar most days. In High School she wouldn't have been caught dead riding a bike around. In fact, she was the kind person that made fun of people riding their bikes from behind the wheel of her Porsche. But, she finally saw that Al Gore movie about a year ago, with Spencer and her college buddies and she sold one of their cars. So, now she and Spencer just share the one. It was actually easier than Ashley thought it would be.

Oberlin wasn't especially big and Ashley didn't really need the car all that often, anyway.

She remembers, years ago, when Spencer told her she wanted to back to Ohio for school. Ashley had been upset. Really upset. California was all she'd really known and she didn't want to leave it. After a few fights, one break up, and lots of time to think they decided on trying a long-distance relationship.

Ashley moved out to Oberlin a week and four days after Spencer.

And, she thinks that it's the best thing she's ever done.

----

Ashley's park bench is empty, just like every day. It's in a good place - right between the fountain and the playground and she's got a good view. She sits down, leans her bike against the bench, takes out her guitar. She doesn't really need to tune, because she was playing it at home, but she does anyway.

No one's really out. The sky is a soft gray and there's a chill in the air and it looks like the kind of day where people stay in with a book or a lover and sleep.

A woman with a small pack of children passes her. The oldest little boy, who looks around five or six, makes it clear that he wants to stay and watch but the woman hurries him in the direction of the playground. And elderly couple strolls by and Ashley thinks it's kind of sweet the way they still hold hands. The man tosses a few bills into her case and Ashley grins and asks if he has any requests. He doesn't and neither does his wife and they only stay a few moments longer but it was nice and this is how Ashley picks up cigarette money these days.

A man walks by. He looks in his 40s and has obviously seen better days. He's haggard, his suit crumpled, a steaming Styrofoam cup in one hand, a briefcase in the other. He sits next to her on the bench for about ten minutes. They don't talk, but she plays a version of "California Dreamin'" she had been tabbing out for a while because it's fitting and that song always makes her feel a little better. When he gets up, he lays a ten dollar bill in he guitar case and walks away.

Ashley watches him walk away and looks around the almost-empty park.

She strums her guitar and wonders what Spencer's doing.

----

She locks her bike up on the pole outside the building and walks through the door. The bell above the doorway jingles to announce her arrival. A man reading a magazine behind the counter looks up and grins.

"So you decided to come in today?"

She rolls her eyes and flips him off but she's smiling too much for it to be really malicious. She hops over the counter and lays her guitar against the wall and says, "Hey, Steve."

She slips on her 'EMPLOYEE' pin and ran a hand through her hair.

"How's business?"

He snorted, flipped a page.

"Slow."

------------------

Spencer loves her Cinema Studies courses. But, she's having a hard time concentrating on them today. She's tired and a little stressed because she's pretty sure she just bombed on her Eighteen Century Fiction test. It's started drizzling a little while ago and she's not sure if she remembered to roll up the windows of her car. Her professor is going on and on about _Metropolis_ and Spencer just wants a cup of something hot and Ashley and a warm bed.

Derek, the friend she took this class with, is nudging her with his elbow and it's then that she realizes she'd fallen asleep. She blushes and feels guilty as she packs her notes into her bag and slinks out of the classroom behind him.

----

Spencer exits another class feeling completely drained and increasingly more upset. She doesn't have an umbrella and the rain is making her cold, despite her heavy coat. She's frustrated and tired and probably over-reacting but she sort of feels like crying.

Then her phone rings. She ducks under an overhang and answers it, a bit shakily. "Hello?"

"Hey, babe."

Ashley and she her mood is lifted, a little.

"Hi."

There's a pause and she hears a few things rustle on the other line.

"What's wrong?"

Spencer is a little surprised and a little amazed that Ashley could tell, because so far she's only said two words.

"You sound a bit… stressed. What's wrong, Spence?"

Spencer sniffs a little. "I'm just… tired and I think I failed a huge test today and I'm cold and wet and I.."

She goes on for a little while and when she's done she feels silly. Out loud, all her problems are trivial and she feels like such a _baby_ for getting so worked up, but-

"Aw, I'm sorry, babe."

"No, I'm sorry. That was… kinda stupid. I know you didn't call to hear me-"

"Spence? I love you, but, shut up."

She blinks, not expecting that.

"I called to check on you. And I'm sorry that your day sucks, and I'm sorry that it's gonna be a few hours before I can hold you and make you feel better…"

Spencer sniffs and bites back tears again, but for a different reason this time.

"But, I've got an idea."

"An idea?" she's grinning a little now, because Ashley has the best Ideas.

"Yeah. I'll pick up some takeout on the way home and I'll grab some videos from work, okay? And we'll stay in tonight. Just me and you and some lo mein and a copy of _Dead Alive_-"

"Ash!"

She hears Ashley's warm, breathy chuckle, "Okay, okay… jeez. I'll grab _Bringing Up Baby_, alright?"

Spencer smiles but has a hard time figuring out which words to use to show Ashley how much this means to her.

"And then, later, we'll go get some ice cream-"

"But Ash, it's cold out and-"

"Hey," Ashley's tone is stern. "Ice cream is love."

She hangs up a few minutes later and walks into her next class grinning so widely that her friend Liz is briefly worried.

------------------

Ashley looks down at the sheet Steve has stuck to the clipboard in front of her. It's the time of the week where she has to phone all the overdue customers and bug them about returning their rentals.

Working at Wally's Discount Video has never been glamorous. But, Steve is pretty cool. She comes in whenever she wants, or whenever he needs her. She gets her money under-the-table, and it gives her some cash to kick around. It's a good way to kill time when Spencer is gone and it's not like the work is especially challenging.

Besides, it's either this or sit naked on Spencer's couch all day with her guitar. And that's really a weekend activity.

She looks at the list again, sighs heavily, and picks up the phone, dialing the first number.

It picks up after a few rings.

"Ah, hello… Mr. Cohen? I'm from Wally's Discount Video and it seems you're a bit overdue. We'd like to ask you to return, ahem… Big Wet Black Asses 19, Backdoor Delivery, and, uh… Lord of the G-strings."

Sometimes, Ashley fucking loves her job.

------------------

When Spencer gets home from school the first thing she does is slip out of her shoes and turn on the heater. The house is empty and She would be lonely if touches of Ashley weren't present in every aspect of the room; from the pile of LPs and 7"s in the glass case in the corner to the 'GIRLS! GIRLS!' neon sign (with dubious origins) that Ashley had hung in the hallway above their bedroom.

As soon as she settles in she begins working on the small stack of assignments she's collected from each of her classes.

A few hours later and she's done, except for a bit of extra reading that she won't be tested on for another week.

The phone rings, she sets aside her books and picks it up.

"Hello?"

"Have you checked the children?" Ashley's 'scary voice' is really just her normal voice a few octaves deeper, and it does little more than make her sound sort of silly.

Spencer shakes her head, smiling in spite of herself. Anything was better than 'Seven Days' because _The Ring_ isn't a movie Spencer feels comfortable joking about when she's alone like this.

"Hi, Ash."

She can _hear_ Ashley's grin.

"Look out your window."

She did.

"I don't see anything."

"Good, 'cause I'm not there yet."

"Then wh-"

"Love you."

Spencer blinks and answers slowly. "Love you too…"

"Okay, _now_ look out your window."

She does and sees Ashley there, grinning, arms weighed down by plastic bags, guitar slung over her back and a six pack of Guinness in one hand. She opens the door for her girlfriend and is greeted with a kiss as Ashley sneakily hands off a few of the bags to Spencer before they part. She kicks the door closed behind her and locks it absently as Spencer turns to place the bags on the counter in the kitchen.

"I got some of your fruity wine coolers, too!"

Spencer has regretted drunkenly declaring her fondness for Arbor Mist since the moment she slurred it, a year or so ago. But despite all her teasing Ashley still bought it for her girlfriend, when she remembered; even though she complained it 'makes me look like a queer - or a suburban housewife' every time she bought it. Spencer always neglected to inform her that she _was_ a queer, and probably an apron away from being a housewife with the way she took care of things around the apartment.

Apparently she has taken too long to respond because Ashley calls out a "You're welcome, Spence!" in an exaggerated worn-out tone as she walks into the living room to put on the DVD.

Spencer grins as she grabs some napkins and the food and follows the brunette.

"Thanks, baby."

------------------

Ashley sits against the couch, Spencer curled up in her arms; stomach full, beer in hand, and slightly bored. She never much liked old movies. Especially this one, Katherine Hepburn aside. A leopard? Really? And, she's always thought she has better things to do then waste a few hours and watch Cary Grant prance around in lingerie.

But, it's probably Spencer's favorite film, so she sits through it.

Besides, it's worth it - Spencer likes to cuddle when they watch movies. And, her face is priceless for this one. She smiles, wide and bright and beautiful. And she coos at the sappy stuff, and she gasps as if she's surprised by the twists and turns in the plot. And she mouths her favorite lines.

Ashley thinks it's maybe kind of amazing.

She shifts a bit. Finishes off her beer and kisses Spencer on the top of the head.

------------------

The credits roll and Spencer sighs, leaning back into Ashley's embrace and feeling the girl's arms tighten around her. Ashley drops one arm down and grabs the remote to stop the movie. She leans in and whispers warm breath tickling, lips brushing the shell of Spencer's ear. "Love you."

Spencer turns in Ashley's arms, brushes back some hair from the girl's face. She lets her hand hover over Ashley's cheeks, watching the brown eyes darken to the point of almost blackness. She presses her lips into Ashley's and mumbles 'I love you, too' into the kiss.

It lasts quite a while, and when they pull away, breathing heavily and slightly rumpled, Ashley's hand has found it's way under Spencer's shirt and is idly toying with the clasp of the blonde's bra.

It's completely quiet. Dark. The only light is the blue/white glow of the television screen and a faint red shine from where Spencer's phone is charging in the kitchen. Ashley's breath is coming in short, faint puffs across Spencer's lips - it's sweet and she tastes like beer and the mint gum she chews obsessively after every meal. Spencer doesn't think she could handle the mingling taste of alcohol and Trident, but has long ago decided that Ashley's eccentricities just add to her charm.

Ashley kisses her again, tongue gliding past Spencer's lips. Beer and mint, but it tastes much better mixed with Ashley than it would alone. She feels Ashley's hands gently tugging at her shirt. Spencer smiles into the kiss and raises her hands above her head and gets in a few breaths when they break the kiss to take off her shirt.

Spencer threads her hands through Ashley's hair as the girl sets to work on her neck, but not before leaving a sticky moist trail of lipgloss and warm breath across and underneath Spencer's jaw.

Ashley manages to stand, still holding Spencer who wraps her legs tightly around Ashley's waist and begins to carry her toward the bedroom. It's a fancy move, and not completely necessary but Ashley takes every opportunity to show off, especially for Spencer, and that just makes the blonde girl love her more.

Ashley walks them to the bedroom, but before they go in, she reaches up and turns on the 'GIRLS! GIRLS!" neon sign. The action causes Spencer to giggle into Ashley's neck, and it's pleasant because Ashley chuckles too and the sensation of the girl's vibrating chest pressed so tightly against Spencer's is amazing.

They don't even bother closing the door behind them.

------------------

Spencer's hands are everywhere and it's all Ashley can do not to let her eyes roll back into her head and die right there, on the bed. Death by sex. Death by Spencer.

What a way to go.

They're naked now. Clothes became obsolete quite some time ago, Ashley has decided that nothing beats the classics and there is _nothing _more classic than nudity.

And then Spencer's tongue is _right where it needs to be_ and Ashley loses it, completely. Her hands fist on the sheets, so tight her knuckles hurt, because she's afraid she might hurt Spencer if she threads them through the girl's soft, blonde locks. Her back arches, sheets clinging to her a little bit. Her hips roll up, seeking _more Spencer_ and the blonde obliges, helping Ashley ride out the last few waves of her orgasm.

Ashley's not sure how long it takes, but she's still panting when Spencer moves up her body, stopping to lick the sweat from between her breasts and run her hands along Ashley's abs. Spencer kisses her, it's soft and tender and still really hot. Ashley can taste herself on Spencer, and it fills her with the most content feeling she's ever known.

She runs her hands through Spencer's hair., damp with sweat. Damp with sweat _Ashley_ put there. It's amazing and she lets out a shaky breath and pulls Spencer closer to her.

------------------

Spencer breathes quietly as she watches Ashley sleep. Her own eyes are heavy and she's thoroughly exhausted, but she wants to stay awake at least a few moments longer, to catch her breath.

She winds a hand through Ashley's hair, twining a curly strand between her fingers before releasing it and watching it bounce back into it's usual ringlet. The room is dark, blinds still shut, the only light the pink neon glow of the sign above their bedroom door seeping in through the cracks.

She can still see, though, as much as she needs to.

She can see the alarm clock that reads 12:47 in huge green numbers. She can see the outline of the dresser across from their bed. She can see the crumpled clothing on the floor by the foot of the bed. She can see the bruises forming on Ashley's hip and low on her neck from when Spencer had gotten a little _too_ vigorous. She can see a matching hickey forming on her collar bone.

She can see Ashley reaching out sleepily, seeking contact even when unconscious. Spencer smiles a little, and moves closer; wrapping her arms around the girl and feeling her snuggle even closer. Spencer exhales and strokes soft brown hair and closes her eyes as Ashley mumbles incoherent nothing into her chest.

----

Spencer's alarm clock wakes her at 6:25 to the sound of a band Ashley probably would have been able to identify but Spencer can only vaguely remember. She hits the snooze button twice before she forces her eyes open. She sees Ashley, shoulder bare, tangled up in the sheets. Watches as the girl snores, so softly. It's beautiful. She kisses her on the side of the mouth and hovers over her for a moment, in their bed before she gets up.

The wood floor is cold as she makes her way to the bathroom, grabbing a towel on the way.

* * *

**End Notes:** Yeah. That was freakin' fluffy. Review. 

_-Orange_


End file.
